Elanor's Return
by Karamelrose
Summary: She's been away from Hobbiton for so long but when she comes back... is it all good news she bears?


Samwise Gamgee grumbled as once Bilbo himself may have done as he went to see to the knock at the door.  
  
"Rose, my love! You'd better put some cheese and bread out. No doubt whoever it is is going to want some supper." He yelled back. "I know I do." He added to himself.  
  
Living at Bagend wasn't as peaceful as good old Sam had expected. People thought that Sam was going to take Bilbo's place and through the most spectacular parties and always have a good story to tell. Expecting another story-hungry youth, he was surprised when he opened the door to find.  
  
"Elanor!" he cried as he embraced his daughter. "You've come home at last." He said with delight, kissing her on the cheek as he took her bags and lead her inside. "Rose! Rose! Look who's here!" he said beaming as Rose herself came from the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. She looked just as she had done when they had got married, well apart from a few lines of age. As she saw her first daughter, she nearly dropped the mug she was wiping with a cloth. She hastily put it down on a table and ran up to Elanor.  
  
"Oh Elanor!" she exclaimed. "You've been away for so long. Why, just look at you. The most grown up hobbit I could never of imagined you being." She said as she stood back to admire her. "Here, come on through," she said taking her by the hand. "You haven't met Robin and Tom, my little babies."  
  
Elanor chuckled at her parents. She knew she was lucky to have such a caring family and she always marvelled at how far their kindness seemed to last, it never seemed to run out. "You two." she said with a sigh. "No need to fuss so much." And then she realised what Rose had sad. "Robin and Tom? I have new brothers!!!" she said happily with a little clap. "Oh! How old are they?" she asked. "What do they look like? Do they look like me?" she was in a flurry of excitement. "Oh where are they?"  
  
Samwise put an arm around Elanor. "You mean Robin and Tom? Ay, I think they're off playing somewhere. Reaping havoc no doubt."  
  
In a flood of anxiety, Elanor hugged her father. "I'll be back soon! I have to meet them!" she said as she ran out of Bagend and down The Hill to tiny specks in the distance she could see to be children.  
  
Back in Bagend, Sam and Rose stood at the door; laughing to each other as well as themselves. "She doesn't even know what they look like." Rose chuckled. "She doesn't know who they are."  
  
Sam smiled knowingly as he watched Elanor running in the wind. Her hair was blowing behind her as was her dress. "She'll know who they are. She'll sense it."  
  
Elanor knew exactly where she was going. She hadn't been in Hobbiton for a while, 5 years to be precise, but she'd grown up there and it wasn't a place you could easily forget. She hadn't known the Shire before the Third Age but it wouldn't have mattered, the whole of Hobbiton had returned to its former glory - much to the pleasure of Samwise, who probably did the most restoring. It had broken his heart to see the plants ruined. It was like one of his own family had died.  
  
Elanor slowed down as she neared the field that held several of Hobbiton's children. She leaned on the fence as she watched.  
  
"We should play Frodo and Sam!" cheered one boy.  
  
"I'm Frodo!" chirped another one.  
  
"That's not fair!" squealed a cute curly-haired girl with huge brown eyes.  
  
"What's not fair?" asked the first one.  
  
"There's no girl's in it!" she replied.  
  
The boys stood deep in thought for a while. "You could be Èowen or Arwen." The second on said.  
  
"But they're boring!" she cried. "They don't do anything. Just sit at home and mope about over all the men."  
  
The boys scoffed at her. "Don't you know nuthing?" they asked together, as the poor girl's cheeks turned scarlet. She hated being left out of anything. "Èowen only disguised herself as a man, fought with the men and hid Merry and let him ride with her. No one knew. Oh yeah, she also loved Lord Aragorn." He said with pride on his face. This of course, was Robin, and he loved to show off the fact that his father was Samwise Gamgee and that he knew all the facts about the end of the last Age.  
  
"Yeah, well its still boring." Said the girl, trying to defend her case, even though she knew she'd fail miserably. "All the boys get the good parts."  
  
Elanor felt the need to interfere. She couldn't let those boys, who she guessed where of course her brothers, get the better of the little girl. She already felt something for the little girl. Her gorgeous eyes and lovely ringlets had captured her heart first, but then when she stood up to the boys - she'd loved her outspoken nature.  
  
"Well." she said as he hoisted her skirt up and hopped over the fence. "Why can't girls play the boys' parts?" she asked with a mischievous smile playing across her lips. Her eyes glistened with waywardness and daring as she watched the boys' faces.  
  
"Who are you?" the older one, Robin, asked outright. "You've got no right to just barge into 'ere and tell us what to do." He said looking around for support from his playmates.  
  
Elanor let her smile drop, although inside she was laughing. "You mean. you wouldn't even let your own sister join in?" She kneeled down on her knees so she was at the same eye height as the children.  
  
Tom was the younger boy and he cocked his head to one side to look at this new found stranger. "You en't our sister." He said diligently. "I know who me sisters are." He said with a nod for confirmation.  
  
"Even the older ones who've been away for so long?" she asked. "Even Elanor?"  
  
"Well not her." He said with a wave of the hand dismissing it. "I mean, we en't never seen her. Got married and moved away she did. That's what Ma said. And she always knows best."  
  
"Oh. yeah. Ma always knows best don't she?" Elanor said. "Ever since I was little, she's always known best."  
  
The two boys looked at each other in awe. "You're Elanor?" they said in unison. "No way!"  
  
"I am indeed." Said Elanor. "I am indeed." 


End file.
